Library Journal: Top 150 of the Century

Father Jean Marie Latour comes to New Mexico in 1851 to reestablish
the Church's control over the Catholic community in America's newly acquired
South West. Over the next forty years, he & his cohorts
battle the landscape, corruption and indifference to restore the place
of the Church in the lives of the local Indians, Mexicans and Americans.

This is a spare & simple story, which is both a strength and a weakness.
Oddly missing from the tale are God and Jesus Christ. We admire the
faith that sustains the priests in their work, but what is it that they
have faith in? Why does this faith have the power to maintain them
against all hardships?

Because these questions remain unasked, let alone unanswered, the book
is ultimately unsatisfying.

Comments:

I read this book for class, and it was one fo the worst books I have read yet. It was unfruitful and uninteresting. I almost killed myself while reading it. The characters were undeveloped, causing you not to care about them at all, and then it went on about them and their uninteresting lives for pages upon pages. After the boring drone of their lives, they were dead in one sentence. No explination or anything, just, this person died. WOW, it was horrible. I absolutely hated it. I was in a bad mood after reading it, so I went and read some wonderful Jack London. Now there is a man who knows how to write.

- Me

- Mar-02-2005, 17:08

*******************************************************

The book is not aimed at explaining the Catholic faith to readers - a Catholic reading the book is entirely aware of what in the faith sustained the bishop's work and allowed him to do such tremendous work against all odds. Many early missionaries were this tenacious and successful. If one is truly curious what the main characters believed in look no further than the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other writings like encyclicals etc.. The Church is the same today as it was then - The teaching on Christ, on faith, morals etc.. has not changed. Same yesterday, today and tomorrow -- try it you'll like it! God bless you, in Christ.

- Carla

- Oct-06-2004, 17:17

*******************************************************

I love the book it was real neat I reccommend it that you read it I am only 3 and I read the whole book It was real good